The Christopher Columbus monument at Parque Colón is the epicenter of historical Santo Domingo. Columbus set foot on this island on December 5, 1492, toward the end of his first voyage. The Taino people called the isle Ayti. Columbus renamed his discovery La Isla Española (Hispaniola). Four years later, Columbus’ brother Bartholomew established the New World’s first Spanish colony. Initially, the settlement was called La Nueva Isabela. A short time later it was retitled Santo Domingo in honor of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the founder of the Dominican Order. This bronze tribute to Cristóbal Colón was sculpted by Ernesto Gilbert and erected in 1886.
